New South Wales Consolidated Regulations

WATER SHARING PLAN FOR THE UPPER AND LOWER NAMOI GROUNDWATER SOURCES 2003 - REG 11

11 Objectives

The objectives of this Plan are to:

(a) protect, maintain and, where practicable, enhance ecosystems dependent on groundwater, and the cultural and spiritual values of groundwater, by minimising the impacts on these of groundwater extraction,

(b) protect the structural integrity of the aquifers and groundwater quality, by ensuring groundwater extraction does not result in any aquifer compaction, aquitard compaction, land subsidence or change in the beneficial use of the aquifer,

(c) manage access to the extraction limits to ensure there are no long-term declines in water levels,

(d) preserve basic landholder rights access to these groundwater sources and ensure the fair, equitable and reliable access to groundwater through the management of local impacts or interference effects,

(e) contribute to the protection, maintenance and enhancement of the economic viability of groundwater users and their communities in the Namoi Valley,

(f) ensure opportunities for market based trading of groundwater access licence rights within sustainability and interference constraints, and

(g) ensure sufficient flexibility in account management to encourage efficient use of these groundwater sources and to manage these groundwater sources to account for climatic variations.